It’s not just diarrhea-causing parasites in shredded lettuce that you might have to be worried about. An ongoing outbreak of Salmonella linked to eggs is sickening people across the country.

Federal health officials are investigating an outbreak of Salmonella Enteritidis that has infected at least dozens of people in 17 states. Some of the cases have been linked to shell egg products produced by Midwest Poultry Services, which have since been recalled. Yet there may be more possible culprits and more cases left to be identified.

“Additional investigation is ongoing to determine if there are other sources of illness,” the Food and Drug Administration stated in its latest update, published July 24th.

Egg trouble

According to the FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 98 people in 17 states have been infected with the same outbreak strain of Salmonella Enteritidis. Twenty-six people have been hospitalized so far, though no deaths have been reported.

As is often true with foodborne outbreaks, the actual number of cases is higher, since many people recover without seeing a doctor or getting testing for Salmonella. Though Salmonella is rarely life-threatening, it can cause miserable bouts of diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps that typically last between four and seven days. Children under five, the elderly, and people with weakened immune systems are more vulnerable to severe illness.

The first known cases of this outbreak date back to November 21, 2025, while the latest case was reported on June 30, 2026. Of the cases with known information (44), a majority (41) reported eating eggs right before they got sick. Several people reported eating eggs from Midwest Poultry Services specifically, and some samples collected from Midwest farms tested positive for the same outbreak strain of Salmonella.

Last week, Midwest Poultry Services issued a recall of just over 1.5 million white shell eggs and brown cage-free shell eggs linked to the outbreak. These eggs were produced and distributed from farms in Texas between June 6, 2026, and July 3, 2026, and had sell-by or best-by dates between July 20, 2026, and August 17, 2026. The eggs were sold to restaurants, retailers, and consumers in Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas, New Mexico, and Mississippi. A full list of the recalled products with identifying codes can be seen here.

More to be worried about?

Health officials recommend that consumers, restaurants, and retailers that purchased recalled eggs should throw them away or return them for a refund; they should also disinfect any areas that could have come in contact with recalled eggs. At the same time, they acknowledge that this egg producer doesn’t account for all of the known illnesses in the outbreak. Notably, there have been cases in 11 other states where the recalled eggs weren’t sold.

Outside of avoiding these specific products, people should generally wash hands, utensils, and surfaces with hot, soapy water before and after handling raw eggs and raw egg-containing foods, according to the FDA. And people who develop symptoms of a Salmonella infection should contact their health care provider to report their illness and get supportive care.